A Sublime Sunrise Elopement Near Vail
S + C snowshoe through a wintery wonderland and exchange vows atop a ridge near Vail, Colorado.
S and C are one of those rare couples who were so struck by one another upon meeting that they essentially decided to get married after their first date.
And since mountains, alpine scenery, early mornings, and long, challenging hikes all interweave throughout S and C’s entire love story, it is fitting that these two lovebirds got engaged on top of a mountain in Banff, Canada, in the middle of a snow storm, after a 3 a.m. wake up and a strenuous, solitary 8-mile hike to the top of a mountain ridge.
Desiring to carry on with these themes, and to celebrate all the things they cherish in life (each other, mountains, and arduous activities), S and C chose a late fall elopement on a snowy alpine promontory near Vail, Colorado.
Waking with the sunrise, and accompanied by S’s parents, S and C snowshoed through a white, wintery wonderland (the first snowfall of November) and ascended the ridge which they had deemed the perfect spot for their union . The bracing 15 degree temperatures were blessedly alleviated by the sun’s ray’s, which pierced down through the morning sky as S and C recited their vows and exchanged rings.
C gamely carried up their belongings (including a gossamer Anthropologie dress for the bride and the groom’s custom Italian Zegna suit), and the couple changed into their wedding attire amongst the serene alpines, which were beautifully cloaked in snow.
S emerged from the trees, holding a clutch of red and white roses and ensconced in a furry wrap, to meet her beaming (and dapper) husband-to-be. Against the backdrop of the jagged Rockies, S and C exchanged rings and I-Dos. It was calm, serene, intimate, laid-back– exactly what they had always dreamed of.
Afterwards, they shared draughts from a very old bottle of Kahlua– just the perfect thing to warm their bones– and listened gleefully to ‘their’ song: “All I See is You”.
S and C relished celebrating the rest of the perfect day with cocktails and cake alongside S’s parents, back at the cozy Ritz-Carlton in Bachelor Gulch.
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Elopement Photographer Andrea Enger (Portrait by Realm Studios)
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If you’re still in the research phase, I hear ya! Here are some more resources that my couples have found helpful. I hope you do, too!